May 242018
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On May 24, 2018, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever was a guest of the Craig Needles Show (AM980, London, Ontario). Needles asked McKeever about Freedom Party’s election platform, including he party’s positions on balancing the budget, and on health care, electricity (unplugging wind and solar contracts), education (experiential learning and gender studies), London, Ontario’s Bus Rapid Transit (“BRT”) plan (McKeever and FP oppose provincial funding for it and oppose the plan itself) and more.

 

 

Interview:

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Mar 022018
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On March 1, 2018, the Andrew Lawton Show (AM980, London, Ontario) hosted a debate involving three of the four candidates for the leadership of the Ontario PC Party: Tanya Granic-Allen, Doug Ford, and Christine Elliott (Caroline Mulroney declined her invitation). On March 2, 2018, Lawton had representatives from two other political parties on his show to discuss the issue of how the three candidates had performed on the debate: the Ontario Liberal Party’s Deb Matthews (MPP for the riding of London North Centre and former Deputy Premier of Ontario) followed by Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever.

In his interview with McKeever, Lawton canvassed a number of issues. Former PC leader Patrick Brown (who resigned when accused by anonymous women of sexual “misconduct”) had already introduced the PC’s 2018 Election Platform, which offered a number of new spending items (including tax credits for the purchase of snow tires, dentistry subsidies etc.), all funded by a federal carbon levy. However, all of the candidates to replace Brown oppose the levy, which was widely recognized to raise the question of how the PCs would pay for the billions of dollars in new spending set out in their 2018 election platform (a point echoed by Matthews during her interview with Lawton). Accordingly, after discussing the (in)competency of the PC leadership candidates, Lawton focused primarily upon the issues of resolving the problem with the PC platform, and of balancing the the Ontario budget. McKeever gave an example – drawn from Freedom Party’s numerous Opposition Budgets – of how the budget could be balanced while improving access to healthcare in the province.

You can listen to the March 1 debate, to Lawton’s interview with Matthews, and to Lawton’s interview with McKeever, below.

March 2nd McKeever Interview:

March 2nd Matthews Interview (including introduction to the program):

March 1st PC leadership debate:

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Feb 232018
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On February 23, 2018, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever and Just Right host (and Freedom Party of Ontario president/CFO) Robert Metz discussed what makes Liberal governance Liberal, and what an alternative to the Liberals requires. They discussed how replacing the Ontario Liberals with Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives would not cause any substantive change at all to the governance of the province.

Topics include what the Liberals have done to Ontario over the last 15 years of their rule; the bigoted, socialist history of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party; and a comparison between how life in Ontario would be in 2022 if, in the June 7, 2018 provincial election, Freedom government were elected instead of a Progressive Conservative government.

Whole Episode:
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Nov 202017
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

Bill 178, which put an end to a five-week-old job action by college instructors and mandated binding mediation-arbitration, was approved by Liberals and Progressive Conservatives (opposed by the NDP). The Toronto Sun would later report that “about 27,500 of the roughly 250,000 full-time students decided to withdraw and receive a tuition refund rather than finishing their semester on a condensed timeline.” Other students reportedly would have to work quite hard to survive the first term of their school year once classes resumed. On November 20, 2017, college instructors returned to work. On The Live Drive program (NewsTalk 1290AM CJBK, London, Ontario) with host Andy Oudman, Paul McKeever, leader, Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed about the the problem of college strikes that occur during the school year.

Listen to the conversation:

McKeever Excerpt:

Entire Recording:
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Feb 012017
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On 27 January President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting all refugee admissions and temporarily barring people from seven Muslim-majority countries: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia. On January 29, 2017, 6 Muslim men were murdered by gunshot while praying in a Quebec mosque. On January 30, 2017, London Ontario councillor Tanya Parks introduced a motion that asked City staff to (a) work with a city hall diversity committee and come back to council with “the appropriate arrangements” for making London a “sanctuary city”; and (b) have the mayor and staff talk to the federal government about London’s continued commitment to accept refugees from the seven countries under Trump’s temporary ban. The motion received unanimous support from all London councillors, including Councillor Phil Squire who told the media “My concern is, what is a sanctuary city?”. On February 1, 2017, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever was a guest of The Andrew Lawton show (AM980, London), and he explained that, essentially, a sanctuary city is a city that adopts a policy of harbouring people who are in the country illegally; who lack refugee, immigrant, or citizen status. McKeever explained that, in his view, cities have no lawful authority to make themselves sanctuary cities. Cities that declare themselves to be sanctuary cities are effectively arrogating to themselves refugee and immigration policy-making powers, and undermining federal refugee and immigration policy. The costs and risks to the public are numerous and expensive.

Listen to the conversation:

McKeever Excerpt:

Entire Recording:
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Jan 272017
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On January 27, 2017, on The Andrew Lawton Show (CFPL AM 980, London, Ontario), Robert Metz, president and CFO of Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed by host Andrew Lawton about changes to the way political parties are financed in Ontario, and about proposals to replace Ontario’s first past the post electoral system with a system of proportional representation.

Lawton and Metz first discussed Ontario provincial Bill 2 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016), which simultaneously gives the Liberal, Progressive Conservative, NDP, and Green Parties millions of taxpayer dollars, annually, while imposing a barrier to the private funding of political parties (specifically, lowering the maximum contribution to $1,200 per annum, down from over $9,000.00 per annum). Metz explained that the bill takes away the public’s power over political parties because the government pays the bigger four parties out of tax revenue, regardless of whether those parties are representing the views of the public. The bill handicaps independent candidates too. The bill isn’t about funding elections: it’s about funding the biggest political parties year after year so that they can keep a lock on power, and prevent any emerging parties from competing with them. The law also violates freedom of association: it prohibits a party leader from attending his or her own fundraising events. Metz explained that one of the other purposes of the legislation is to allow political parties to spy on one another, and their contributors. Overall, said Metz, the new law “closes the door to the democratic process.”

After discussing the financing of political parties, Lawton and Metz turned to the issue of electoral reform. Metz explained that although Freedom Party might benefit a bit from a switch from our current “first past the post” system to a system of proportional representation, Freedom Party is against a switch to proportional representation. The Westminster model should be considered “sacred” said Metz. Freedom Party is in favour of principled governance, which is undermined by the minority government that results from proportional representation.

Listen to the interview:

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Jan 182017
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On January 18, 2017, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever was a guest of The Tom McConnell Show (1290 AM CJBK, London, Ontario, and and CKTB-AM 610 St. Catharines, Ontario) and was interviewed about the passage of the new Ontario provincial Bill 2 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016). McKeever explained that all present MPPs from all three parties in the Ontario provincial Legislature – including Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown and NDP leader Andrea Horwath – voted unanimously in favour of giving their parties a taxpayer funded allowance that, over the next four years, will pay the Liberals, PCs, and NDP the lion’s share of over $47M.

McKeever explained that one false pretext for the allowance was that the elimination of corporate and union contributions, and the lowering of the individual contribution limit to $1,200.00, will result in a reduction in funding to the parties, and that the allowance is to make up for the short fall. That pretext is false, because – for the Liberals, PCs, and NDP – the amount of the allowance is far greater than the amounts they were able to earn from total voluntary contributions.

McKeever explained that another false pretext for the allowance is that the parties need enough money to pay for the election in a way that will make democracy sufficiently vibrant. That pretext is false, explained McKeever, because the limit on election spending is 80 cents per elector, but the amount of the allowance being paid the Liberals, PCs and NDP is several times the 80 cent limit: they are paying themselves far more than they would need to finance their entire election campaigns on taxpayer funds.

McKeever explained that the new legislation essentially puts a $10 price tag on each ballot. McKeever argued that Canadian soldiers have fought and died to maintain democracy in Canada, which includes not having to pay to vote. We’ve already paid for the ballots with the blood of Canadian soldiers and that of Canada’s allies.

McKeever explained that, by giving the Liberals, PCs, NDP and Greens an allowance (the Liberals, PCs, and NDP have excluded all other parties – the Greens excepted – from getting an allowance, yet all parties are having their contribution limits lowered anyway…which amounts to a 25% reduction in private, voluntary funding to Freedom Party, based upon 2014 figures), MPPs will have less need to be accountable to the general public. With the government paying them the money they need, MPPs can ignore the demands of their parties’ voluntary contributors.

McKeever condemned the allowance as anti-freedom, anti-democratic, and an attempt by the Liberals, PCs, and NDP to ally with one another to prevent competition from other, emerging political parties. He said that Freedom Party is opposed to funding political parties with taxpayer dollars and would work to end the taxpayer funding of all political parties.

Listen to the interview:

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Jan 122017
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On January 12, 2017, on London At Large (1290 AM CJBK, London, Ontario), Robert Metz, president and CFO of Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed by host Al Coombs about Ontario provincial Bill 2 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016), which simultaneously gives the Liberal, Progressive Conservative, NDP, and Green Parties millions of taxpayer dollars, annually, while imposing a barrier to the private funding of political parties (specifically, lowering the maximum contribution to $1,200 per annum, down from over $9,000.00 per annum).

Listen to the interview:

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Dec 092016
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

At 7:30 AM, on The All New Morning Show (1290 AM CJBK, London, Ontario), Robert Metz, president, Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed about the provincial auditor’s report; the role of government; the importance of the price system in the electricity system; the government’s fire-sale of Hydro One; the need to introduce competition, from the private sector, in health care and insurance; the costliness of nuclear power; the need for the government to quit fighting climate change; socialism; the pointlessness of a carbon tax; the constancy of climate change and Man’s inability to control it; and the carbon-based attempt to redistribute wealth around the world. These recordings include the lead-up to the interview, and a brief post-interview discussion about the interview, with CJBK host Andy Oudman.

Listen to the interview:

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Nov 072016
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

At 12:20 PM, on The Tom McConnell Show (610AM CKTB, St. Catharines, Ontario), Paul McKeever, leader, Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed about Elections Ontario’s refusal to allow Freedom Party’s candidate to be on the ballot for the November 17, 2016 by-election in the riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook.

 

 

 

Listen to the conversation:

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